Walls have been
built since ancient times, to mark borders, protect kingdoms and settlements, or
keep out unwanted people. In more recent times, walls have also been built to
serve as memorials and structures of art.
01. Chewing Gum Wall, Seattle,
US
Photo Link
Not all walls are controversial and divisive.
Seattle's gum wall is the place for any unwanted chewing gum, a tradition which
was started by people queuing for the theatre. Currently the gum on the wall
stretches to several inches thick and is a slightly alternative location for
wedding photographs. 07 more walls
after the break...
02. Storm King Wall, NY, US
Photo Link
Andy Goldsworthy (British sculptor, photographer
and environmentalist) created the Storm King Wall in Mountainville, New York in
1997. At 2,278 feet (694m) long, the site-specific sculpture is made from
stones gathered around the Storm King Art Center’s property.
03. Security Wall, West Bank, Israel
Photo Link
This wall is the
most controversial in the world. It is being constructed by the Israeli
government to separate the Israeli and Palestinian people of the West Bank.
Currently standing at 8m (26ft) high, this wall remains a source of hostility
and resentment between the two peoples.
04. Vietnam
War Memorial Wall, Washington D.C., US
Photo Link
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is a national war
memorial in Washington, D.C. It is often described as the most moving memorial
in the city, the Vietnam Memorial stands as tribute to those who died or went
missing, intended to transcend political controversy in remembrance of the
soldiers who gave the ultimate sacrifice. Its centerpiece, the Memorial Wall
designed by Maya Lin, is made up of two black granite walls engraved with the
58,256 names of the soldiers.
05. Belfast
Peace Line, Belfast, Northern Ireland
Photo Link
The Peace Line stands over 20ft (6m) high and
was constructed to separate Catholic and Protestant communities in Belfast
thereby 'keeping the peace'. What was meant as a temporary measure became more
permanent as the barriers became longer and wider. The recent suggestion that
they should be destroyed was met with anger from local residents and so its
deconstruction remains a debated topic.
06. Green
Line "Walls", Cyprus
Photo Link
In downtown Nicosia, the Green Line is made
mostly of big, colored oil barrels; as you walk along, these yield to
bulldozered bunkers with thick green overgrowth. The term Green Line refers to
the cease fire line that de facto divides the island nation of Cyprus into two,
cutting through the capital of Nicosia. It was first established in 1964.
07. "Ecobarriers" Wall In Rio de Janeiro,
Brasil
Photo Link
Beginning in March 2009, a concrete wall
surrounds the Dona Marta favela, which sprawls over the Corcovado hills above
Rio de Janeiro and housed approximately 7,000 residents in 2006 in more than
1,000 dwellings. Officials insist the wall exists to protect the remaining
native forest as serves as an ecobarrier. Critics see the wall as a symbol of
Brazil’s vast division between the rich and poor.
08. Lennon
Wall in Prague, Czech Republic
Photo Link
The John Lennon Wall, began as hippie graffiti
in the 80's, was whitewashed by the secret police. The painting returned and
when the wall was given back to the Knights of Malta in 1989 as part of a huge
restitution deal. The Knights wanted to paint over it too, but the Ambassador
from the French Embassy across the street pleaded its case. The wall had to be
re-plastered in 1998, but an artist was hired to re-do Lennon's portrait and
small graffiti is tolerated today.
No comments:
Post a Comment